Half-Blood
by The unwritten promise
Summary: When dusk yields to dawn they hunt in packs. They don't like humans; they want their prey to have a kick, some definite spice and a nice fight. They followed him here, because it was him they set their eyes on first. And I'll tell you now, Roxas, if you don't get out before its too late they'll find you. Even the supernatural can't stand up to these guys.


They only ever came out after midnight, so it was always dark. They hunted in pairs, prowling the streets with an observed tendency for catching the strays of the dark. For them the shadows could shift and waver in unexpected and unpleasant dances, snaking around the golden-bulb streetlights with hungry desire.

Within the cool frost of November's dwindling dusk a new pair sauntered down the backstreets of Twilight Town. No stars hung over the skyline, and in the distance the blaze of artificial lights streamed the air with blaring music, deafening the streets into silence.

"You think we're gonna find anything tonight?" Xion asked. With a sweet smile she ruffled the lace of her button down dress, her ocean-eyes catching the glint of the moon.

By her side Roxas shrugged, his hands deep in his pocket and his chin bowed to his chest. With closed eyes he guided her down the solemn alleys. Slowly he looked her way, and the drunken glimmer was magnificent.

"Tonight? Unlikely. These people are stupid, but trying to split them up is like trying to catch the wind."

"Naw," she hooked her arm through his, catching the scent of heavy cologne and giggling. "You sound so sad, Roxy. C'mon, we can find a bite to eat. We'll just have to be a little bit more... creative."

"Creative?" He raised an eyebrow, the frost flowing over him. "How so?"

"Well," she stopped, pulling him about and wiping imaginary dust from his smart suit. "I can think of a few ways, Rox. Me and you, we can paint the town red like old times." She winked. Her hand took extra time to straighten the bold tie, and she mushed her pretty mouth into a thoughtful frown. "Why do you always wear black? It doesn't suit you."

"It suits me perfectly, but thank you for your fashion concern. Come on, I'll call you a cab to get you home before you hurt yourself."

"Aw nuts to that, Roxas. Let's go have fun!"

"My boss said you've had more than enough fun for the night."

"Well let's go to another bar."

"I'm working, remember? Every second I'm away from those doors they're docking my pay."

"I'll compensate you. It'll be _fun_, Roxas. You remember what that word means, right?"

He took her hands gently, carefully placing them by her sides. "Not tonight, Xion."

She pouted. "But I'm hungry, Roxas. You can't let a girl go home on an empty stomach, can you?"

"You shouldn't even be out. You know the rules-"

"_Urgh._ You sound just like dad."

Roxas said nothing. With a small quirk of the lips that may have been a smile, he held her upper arm, keeping her steady as they wound around the streets. Xion chattered all the while, more to herself than to him, and the music died out behind them. Casting his stare down anxiously to his watch, they finally made it to the bust-up cabby office with the neon sign declaring a twenty four hour service.

Xion struggled with the step, her wonky vision tumbling her backwards and forwards. With a deep want for balance she fell into Roxas' shoulder, laughing drunkenly into his chest, and with the softest of sighs and the greatest of cares he lifted her to him and carried her over the threshold.

Inside the smell of piss was rank and lingering, clinging to the air. The stained walls were marred only by the horrid coffee wallpaper with the cream stains, and the sofa had long since had all its stuffing picked out, the note of '_Chez 4 Anna'_ carved deep into the wooden arms.

Not wanting to have Xion settled on the stained sofa, Roxas held her with one hand, her arms wrapped tight about his neck, and approached the bulletproof glass window with the small holes. On the other side a gorgeous woman with neat brunette hair and a swagger of great 'oomph' laughed, giving him a small wink as she chewed her pen.

"Aw, you back again, Rox? Maybe you should work for me instead of Reno. You'd make a good cabby."

Roxas smiled, leaning against the counter and pulling the latest paper to him, flicking through it. "It isn't that bad, Tifa."

"Sure it isn't." She lifted the old phone and called for one of her drivers to start heading back. With a quick glance to Xion, she pulled Roxas' attention to her and away from the page three model. "Who's this one then? Another random stranger?"

"Friend of the family. Her brother gave me a call. Said she was in a bit of trouble and he couldn't find her. Thought I'd best pick her up before she hurt someone."

"Reno know you left the doors?"

"Riku's covering for me, but yeah, he knows. Not that impressed, to be honest. Said he's gonna cut my pay back."

"Wow, really? He short-staffed or something?"

"It's not that, it's just because of the football match. Everywhere's packed, and there's already been people scrapping in the streets."

She looked worried for a moment. "You sure Riku's going to be able to handle it on his own?"

"Are you kidding?" Roxas laughed, shaking his head and returning back to the paper. "Riku could kick my arse if he wanted to."

There came from outside the honking of a car horn, and Tifa checked something on the monitor. A light blinked on, and she nodded in his direction.

"That's for you, darl."

"Thanks." Folding the paper, Roxas gave her a small wave. "No doubt I'll see you again before the end of the night."

"Ha! Probably, knowing you."

Jumping the step, the cold outside was bracing. He grunted to hear snores in his ear, accompanied by Xion's slackening grip and a nice trail of spit down the front of his suit. Muttering under his breath, he saw the battered red car pull up with the taxi number stickered to its side. Opening the door, Roxas gently untied Xion from his neck, placing her in the cab and strapping her in.

"She gonna be alright, mate?" The driver asked.

Giving the man a hard stare, Roxas took Xion's bag from her. "She'll be fine. Her brother's waiting for her when she gets out. I'll give him a ring to make sure she got back alright. You know, because you can never be too careful."

"You trying to say-"

"I'm saying I'm putting my unconscious friend in your cab and I want to make sure she gets home alright. I've got your license plate and her brother's waiting for her. You're going to MidTurn Street. Number 81. It's the last house on your left."

Insulted, the large cabby pulled off as soon as Roxas slammed the door. Still holding Xion's bag, Roxas began rummaging through the pockets until he came across the smartphone buried beneath all the rubbish and make-up. Grateful that it wasn't locked, he skimmed through the contacts, making his way back through the backstreets.

The phone only had chance to ring twice.

"_Xion! Where the hell are you?!"_

"It's Roxas, Xigbar. I've put Xion in a cab, she's on her way home now."

"_Thank fuck for that. Where did you find her?"_

"Fighting in Glory Bar."

"_Jesus Christ! She ok?"_

"She's fine. She'll be home in ten minutes."

"_Cheers, mate. Honest to God, that girl needs to get her damn act together… Hang on, I thought you was working? What the hell was you doing in Glory Bar?"_

"I got a call from a friend who said he'd found her. I just picked her up."

"_Well thanks, mate. I'll send her round to yours when she sobers up. Make sure she damn apologises and makes it up to you an' that."_

"I've got her bag anyway. I didn't want to put her in the cab with it. Not after Sora got mugged last time."

"_Oh yeah, I heard about that. He alright?"_

"He's a two hundred pound phone down and sixty quid out of pocket. Other than that he's fine." He approached the club with the streaming lights. The queue piled around the corner, full of snogging couples and tipsy singles. "Look, I've got to go. I've left Riku on his own and that…"

"_Oh, yeah, no prob, mate. Like I said, thanks again and what have ya. I'll send her arse round to you in morning."_

Roxas laughed. "It's fine, honestly. I'll see you soon, yeah?"

"_Yeah. See ya soon, lad." _

The call ended, and Roxas placed the phone back into Xion's bag, making his way down to the front of the line. Nodding to a few of the regulars, feeling particularly uncomfortable with the small satchel bag, he found Riku pressing his hands up to prevent a large trio of lads from entering the club. The men staggered, staring down at the hands pressed against them, and with a snarl they smacked them away. Dressed smart in a white shirt tucked into ironed slacks, Riku blocked them from entering the overcrowded club once more, standing tall and straight with glimmering eyes and a soft smirk.

"Look, lads, I'm sorry, but you've had too much as it is. Go home, sober up, come back another night."

"Wha' da… da _fuck_ you think yer-yer-yer… wha's the word? Doin'! Tha's it."

"Go home," Riku repeated.

"Fuck off, jus' ler us in!"

"I think you should do as he says, mate." Stepping up to the door by Riku, Roxas caught his friend's raised eyebrow and said nothing.

The attention turned on him, those solid eyes with the fogged haze looking him up and down with amused smiles. "Or wha'?"

"You don't really want to know that, do you?" Riku asked, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

Ignoring him, the man on the far left tried to push past them and storm into the bar. A leaving woman screamed, her drink flying back over herself before Riku grabbed the man by the back of his jacket, pulling him back with untameable strength and throwing him out against the road. With a _thud_ the man sank and staggered in a fit, cursing and spitting as blood dripped from his nose.

Riku stood firm, looking slightly fed up with having to toss another lowlife out of his way. "What did I tell you?"

Angered and humiliated, the voices laughing around him, the man raised himself with a roar, charging headlong at Riku as his friends mirrored him, determined to do damage. Riku dodged the first, sidestepping from his view. The man kept running, his head bent low, and with a cry he smashed his skull into the wall, rendering himself unconscious as he slurped in a boneless fit to the floor.

Ducking beneath the fist aimed for his face, Roxas sparked the man under his chin with one powerful swing that had his opponent reeling backwards with a broken jaw. With a sob the man stumbled back into the crowd, his hand covering his jaw as he whimpered and moaned uselessly.

Flexing his red knuckles, rubbing at his wrist, Roxas turned with a smirk to find Riku with the last of them in a headlock, looking completely out of place as the larger man dwarfed him and struggled in a grasp he couldn't escape from. With a grunt and a quick jerk Riku tightened his hold.

"Now, listen to me and listen well, alright? You're gonna take your mates and march yourself into A&E, and you're not gonna come back and give us no hassle, else we'll make sure you can't come back. Understand?"

The man whimpered, nodding radically and stumbling when Riku released him. Backing away from the silver-haired male and the blonde, he gathered up his unconscious friend and his crying mate and staggered off into the night. With a shake of his head Riku moved to the side a little so Roxas could make his way beside him.

Together they filtered through the night's mess, allowing entry to some and turning away most. By the time the club was close to closing Roxas' watch had hit three forty nine am, and with each breath it seemed he was holding back a yawn. The cold had finally begun to ingrain itself through his jacket, settling deeply upon his shoulders and catching him in the chest with every gust of wind. Beside him Riku couldn't feel the cold. Roxas knew it was for the exact same reason that he never yawned, and he never sighed, and he never really seemed to take breath, although he would never admit to it.

Roxas rubbed at his eyes as a group of laughing women said goodnight and thanked them. Stretching his arms upwards and leaning back against the post, he closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"You alright?"

He peeked an eye open, catching the concern hovering over his friend's fresh face, slightly jealous of the life Riku showed. "I'm fine. Can't wait for the end of the shift, though."

"Thought you said you could handle the nightshift?"

"I can," Roxas defended, straightening his stooping body. "But this overtime is really taking it out of me."

"You want me to watch things for the rest of the night? You can go home if you want."

"Roxas!"

Roxas jumped, turning back towards the doors as his boss stood in the archway. Reno's hair was bright red, combed backwards with great taste. The bags under his eyes were lined a deep purple, and he seemed less than thrilled as he half-carried, half-patrolled a drunken redhead from the bar.

"Roxas, I need your help." Heaving the staggering redhead up a little further, Reno ignored the man's protests and pushes to be free and brought him down the steps.

With his hands in his pockets, a shiver down his spine and an eyebrow raised, Roxas couldn't help noticing the alarming resemblance between the two men, and wondering just what it was his boss wanted from him. "What's up?" He asked, moving aside as Reno brought the redhead to the railings at the side of the road.

The man took deep staggering breaths, paused for half a heartbeat, and then proceeded to spew all over the road. Unimpressed, Reno moved aside, turning his attention back to his employees.

"I think he's been spiked. He's only had about three drinks, so some fuckers clearly had at him. He's in no fit state to be out now." Searching his pockets, he pulled out a neat set of keys and tossed them to Roxas. "I want you to take him back to mine and keep an eye on him for the night."

"What? Why me?"

"Because you ran off earlier. You do this for me and I'll overlook that and give you back full pay. I need to stay to lock up at seven, and I'm sure Riku can manage on his own until then, can't you?"

Riku shrugged, a sloppy smile gracing his face. "Sure. No problem."

Reno nodded, turning to Roxas again. "And besides that you look dead on your feet, kid. You can crash at mine for the night. It'll save you having to drive across town."

Roxas looked past Reno to where the redhead was shivering madly against the railings, his eyes squeezed shut and his knees buckling. He flinched to hear dry heaving, shaking his head slowly.

"Doesn't he have any family you can call? Friends, even?"

"He's my nephew, Roxas," Reno said flatly, and Roxas winced to think he might have plucked a nerve. "I'm the only family he's got left and his friends are all off their faces. Just take him back to mine and I'll be home for eight. I'd appreciate it if you kept an eye on him, too. Who knows what the hell he's had."

Without another word Reno patted his nephew on the back, earning himself a small grunt of acknowledgment before he left for the bar. With a groan Roxas rubbed at his forehead, the keys and Xion's bag held tightly in his hands.

"Riku, keep an eye on him for a minute, will you?"

"Where are you going?"

"To get my damn car."

* * *

Riku never could feel the cold, but the wind was different. It brushed against him without feeling, never stealing warmth or leaving a chill. It was one of the main reasons he loved being who he was. That and the late night perks were an added bonus.

Beside him the redhead still shivered, holding onto the railings for dear life. There was something odd about him, Riku noticed; something different. He couldn't quite determine what it was, but there was quite assuredly something peculiar and odd. He had tried to probe the redhead for information, but other than the occasional grunt or the fevered stare there was nothing but blank openings and sick.

Over the darkened streets there came the blare of a large car horn and Roxas pulled up beside the railings. He looked less than thrilled in his brother's borrowed black Jaguar, his coat slung over the back seat as he rolled the window down.

"You wanna get him in for me?"

"You can't do it yourself?" Riku joked, and Roxas rolled his eyes.

Jumping the fence with one hand, Riku opened the door and helped guide the redhead down the crossing and over to the car. Slumping in the backseat, there was a mutter of thanks and Riku closed the door, walking over to Roxas' rolled down window.

"You going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine. I know where I'm going so it should be ok."

"I meant are you going to be able to stay awake? I don't want you falling asleep at the wheel."

Roxas laughed. "Riku, I don't think there's any trouble with that. And even if I do crash, it's not like I'm gonna die, right?"

"Yeah, but I think Cloud might be pissed about his car."

With a smile and a shake of his head, Roxas waved and began to roll the window up, pulling away from the curb. In the rear-view mirror Roxas saw Riku wave for as long as possible, then he turned back to the doors and the traffic lights hit green.

In the back his passenger fell sideways, sinking deep into the comfort of the fabric and snoozing softly with his extended seatbelt. Turning the corner and away from the main road, Roxas rummaged in his pockets for his phone, pushing in a familiar number and waiting for the line to be answered.

Six agonisingly long rings later they hit a series of red traffic lights and the call was answered.

"'_Lo?"_

"Cloud? Hey, it's Roxas."

"_R's? Time's it?"_

"Early. I just thought I'd let you know that I'm not going to be back until tomorrow. Reno's asked me to do him a favour and I kind of owed him."

"_Wha'? What time you bringin' the car back?"_

"Ten am-ish. That ok?"

"_Roxas, I start work at twelve. You'd best make sure it's back by then."_

"It will be, I promise." Looking both ways and chewing on his tongue, Roxas opted for a shortcut and cut down the empty curvy roads. "Anyway, I'd better get off while I'm driving. See you soon."

"_What? Hey, wait a minute! Roxas, wai-"_

Roxas hung up, throwing his phone over to the passenger seat and wrinkling his nose as his stomach growled. There came the thick scent of blood overhanging the air, and even through the car he could smell it. But there was nobody around. Putting it to the back of his mind, thinking he was too tired and unable to comprehend things clearly, he convinced himself that his imagination was playing tricks, and turned away and back onto the main road; away from the smell.

What he didn't see, however, and what he could not have seen, was the glimmering white eyes that shone like neon lights down the darkest of alleys. Fanged teeth dripped an unruly and bitter red, clunks of blood slapping down against the pavement as the creature raised itself up onto its hindquarters, its mind a chaotic mess of desire and blood. By its feet lay a mangled corpse, the bones half-chewed and the tendons snapped. Lifting its snout to the air, it caught the trail it was after, raised its head high, and howled; calling for its brothers, searching for its pack.

It had found fresh prey.

* * *

Hope anyone who read enjoyed! Let me know if you think it's worth continuing! I'd adore a review! Especially constructive criticism! :)


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